Jean Cocteau
1889-1963
A poet, novelist, playwright and artist, he took an interest in all aspects of artistic activity, and played an important role as leader and inspirer of avant-garde movements for fifty years. Before World War 1 he was the friend of the muscians Erik Satie, Darius Milhaud and Stravinsky, and of painters such as Picasso and Derain. He played an active part in the development of Cubism, Dadaism and Surrealism. He was the author of several avant-garde ballets, notably Parade (1919, designed by Picasso, music by Satie) and Le Boeuf sur le Toit (1920, designed by Dufy, music by Milhaud). He himself executed numerous drawings and pastels, of which he published several albums, and he also illustrated some of his own books, eg Opium (1929). These works are characterized by a continuous, strangely labyrinthine line. His human figures, bearing a curious resemblance to statues, seem ambiguously pure and asexual, mixing myth and legend with a modern approach.
Works Available
Jean Cocteau Pastels chez Lucie Weill